Student Stories

David Chavez, Machine Tool Technology major

"If you like to build things and work with your hands, this is the place to be. Working in machining, you are only limited by your imagination. Most of the metal things you see, a machinist probably touched it at some point."

"The instructors are really great to work with, and walk you through it all. They give you the confidence you need to get through the program. If you think you're interested in a machine tool career, you can look up manual machining lathes on YouTube and watch the videos to get a better sense of what a machinist does. Or check out your local machine shop."

Mark Harvey, Machine Tool Technology major

"Machinists are at the heart of all the precision it takes to make everything from cars and airplanes to buildings and bridges. Many of our local machine shops create parts for the avionics and space industries. They need machinists who can run computer numeric controlled, or CNC, machines, and there's a lot of options for places to work right here in the valley."

"The instructors here have spent a lot of time developing the curriculum to what the industry needs, and students actually start cutting metal on the first day of class."